Combination clothes-pressing iron and rest mount therefor with automatic homing means



Dec. 3, 1968 R. c. LE SUEUR ETAL 3,413,742

COMBINATION CLOTHES-PRESSING IRON AND REST MOUNT THEREFOR WITH AUTOMATICHOMING MEANS Filed Sept. 28, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS. ROBERTLESUEUR VINCENT A. MARTENS ATTORNEY Dec. 3, 1968 R. c. LE SUEUR ET AL3,413,742

COMBINATION CLOTHES-PRESSING IRON AND REST MOUNT THEREFOR WITH AUTOMATICHOMING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 28, 1967 INVENTORS. LE SUE URMAR TENS ROBERT G. VINCENT A. k BY W? ATTORNEY United States Patent3,413.742 COMBINATION CLOTHES-PRESSING IRON AND REST MOUNT THEREFOR WITHAUTOMATIC HOMING MEANS Robert C. Le Sueur, River Forest, 11]., andVincent A.

Martens, Racine, Wis., assignors to Scovill Manufacturing Company,Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Sept. 28, 1967,Ser. No. 671,375 9 Claims. (Cl. 38-96) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Acombination clothes-pressing iron and rest mount with automatic homingmeans for guiding the iron to proper placement on the mount; the ironhaving a heel portion with a rearwardly facing opening thereinprojecting rearwardly from the iron at a level above the sole plate ofthe iron, and the mount having an arcuate curb and an upright hublocated at the center of the arc of the curb. The sole plate hasrearwardly facing abutment surfaces which engage the arcuate curb whenthe iron is backed against the curb from various directions. The heel ofthe iron overhangs the curb when the iron has been backed against thecurb so that the iron can then be pivoted on the mount to upstandingrest position on the mount with the hub fitting snugly into the openingin the heel. Current conducting means may be located in the hub and heelopening for automatically supplying current to a heating element in theiron when the iron is in rest position on the mount.

This invention relates to the combination of a clothespressing iron anda rest mount theiefor adapted to be supported on an ironing board. Theinvention may be embodied in an electric iron and a rest mount providedwith means for conducting current to a heating element in the iron whenresting on end on the mount.

The main object of the invention is to provide means in the iron andmount for automatically homing the iron relatively to the mount, wherebywhen the iron is backed against the mount from various directions theiron can be pivoted manually on the mount to upstanding rest positionwith parts of the iron and mount interengaged in homed relation forsupporting the iron on its end. This interengagement is thus achievedwith a minimum of attention being paid by the user so that the properhoming is indeed automatic. When embodied in an electric iron and amount provided with a power supply, the parts thus interengaged are incurrent conducting relationship.

The objects of the invention are achieved by the combination of a mountwhich has an arcuate curb and an upstanding hub disposed at the centerof the arc of the curb and an iron which has a sole plate and arearwardly extending heel with a central opening spaced above theironing surface of the sole plate. The rear end surface of the soleplate of the iron is formed to provide a pair of spaced abutment surfaceportions having a rearwardly facing concavity therebetween, the surfaceportions being disposed at the level of the sole plate symmetrically oneon either side of the longitudinal center line of the sole plate. Theheel overhangs the curb of the mount when the iron is backed against thecurb from various directions, so that the iron can be pivoted on thecurve to upstanding rest position with the hub fitting snugly in theopening. In the embodiment herein shown and described, the heel of theiron and the hub of the mount are provided with current conducting meanswhich automatically become operative when the iron is placed on themount ice in the position described, and permit swivel movement of theiron relatively to the mount without interruption of the current flow.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational side view of a clothes-pressing iron, partly insection, embodying the invention of this application.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the mount on whichthe iron is adapted to be supported in upstanding position.

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view in the plane of the line3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an elevational side view of the iron and mount in solid lines,showing the iron with its sole plate backed against the curb of themount and the rear end of the iron overhanging the mount preparatory tobeing manually pivoted to the upstanding position shown in broken lines.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view in the plane of the line 5-5 ofFIG. 4, showing the mount and the rear end of the iron in a preliminaryhorned position, in solid lines, and showing the rear end of the iron inbroken lines as it appears in preliminary homed positions relatively tothe mount from two different directions.

FIG. 6 is a transverse horizontal sectional view through the rear endblock of the heel portion of the iron.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the iron 10comprises a sole plate 11, reservoir holding body 12, handle 13, heelportion 14 and rear block 15 on the heel portion 14, provided with arearwardly facing opening 16. The heel portion 14 and block 15constitute a heel which projects rearwardly beyond the rear end of thesole plate 11 and above the level of the sole plate. The block 15 housesa pair of conductor rings 17, 18, electrically connected by wiring 19 toa heating element (not shown) in the sole plate 11. The sole plate hason its rear end a pair of generally vertical, spaced abutment surfaceportions 20 and a rearwardly facing concavity 21 therebetween, thesurface portions 20 being disposed at the level of the sole platesymmetrically one on either side of the longitudinal center line of thesole plate.

A mount 25 for supporting the iron 10 in upstanding position comprises abase 26 adapted to rest on an ironing board 27. Rotatably adjustableclamping means 28 mounted in a bracket 29 hold the mount 25 on theironing board. The bracket 29 is mounted in a box-like container 30which houses a micro-switch 31, electrical wiring 32 and connections 33to a power supply. The base 26 of the mount is provided with uprightbosses 34 which support a cover 35 with downturned edge portion 36. Thecover is spaced from the base 26 and extends over the base and the topof the container 30. The cover 35 and edge portion 36 form a curb 37which is arcuate in form as shown in FIG. 5.

An upstanding hub 40 has a bottom plate 41 supported on bosses 34 on themount base 26 beneath the cover 35, the hub 40 extending upwardlythrough an opening in the cover. The hub 40 is made of insulatingmaterial and is located at the center of the arc of the curb 37. It isadapted to fit within the opening 16 in the rear block 15 of the heel ofthe iron. One of the electrical conductor means 42 is connected to onelead of the power supply 33 and the other conductor 42 is connected to aterminal on the switch 31. The other lead of the power supply 33 isconnected to the other terminal on the switch 31. As shown in FIG. 2,the switch lever 43 has attached to it a switch lever insulator 43a. Thelever 43 has a switch actuating arm 45 for engaging the switch button 46of the micro switch 31 when the iron rests on the mount and depressesone end of the lever 43 and thus raises the free end arm 45.

The rearwardly extending heel portions 14 and 15 of the iron are spacedabove the ironing surface of the sole plate 11 a distance at least equalto the height of the curb 37 and extend rearwardly beyond the surfaceportions 20 of the sole plate a distance substantially equal to thewidth of the cunb between the edge 37 and the hub 40. The abutmentsurfaces 20 and concave surface 21 provide an area on the rear end ofthe sole plate substantially complemental to the arcuate curb 37. Thetop of the opening 16 in the rear block 15 of the heel is at a levelhigher than the level of the top of the hub 40, and the bottom of theopening 16 is at a level below the level of the top of the hub, wherebywhen the iron is backed against the arcuate curb 37 of the mount fromvarious directions, the abutment of the surface portions 20 against thecurb aims the hub-receiving opening 16 at the hub in a preliminary homedposition so that the iron can then be pivoted on the mount up toupstandin rest position with the hub fitting snugly into the opening.

The surfaces 20 on the sole plate accomplish the preliminary homing ofthe iron relatively to the mount. This preliminary homing is enhanced inthe version shown by engagement of the surface of the semi-circularcutout 15a on the rear block 15 with the hub 40. The iron is thenmanually pivoted to the upstanding final homed position. The initialpivot in the preferred version shown takes place on the rear edge of thesole plate until the conductor 18 touches the top of the hub 40. Finalpivot is about the contact point between the conductor 18 and hub 40.When the iron is nearly vertical it slides into engagement with the huband comes to rest in the upstanding position.

In describing the invention, reference has been made to a particularexample embodying the same, but we wish it to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the construction shown in the drawing andthat various changes may :be made in the construction and generalarrangement of parts without departing from the invention.

We claim:

1. In combination, a clothes-pressing iron and a rest mount adapted tobe supported by an ironing board, comprising (a) an iron having a bodyportion and a sole plate provided with a rear facing abutment surface,

(b) a heel having a rearwardly facing opening therein projecting fromthe body portion at a level above the sole plate, and

(c) a mount having an arcuate curb and an upright hub located in thecenter of the arc of the arcuate cunb,

(d) the opening in the heel being of a size adapted to receive the hub,

whereby when the iron is backed against the arcuate curb from variousdirections, the abutment of the rear end surface of the sole plateagainst the curb aims the hub-receivin opening at the hub so that theiron can be pivoted on the mount to upstanding position with the hubfitting snugly into the opening.

2. The combination defined by claim 1 in which the rear facing abutmentsurface of the sole plate and the arcuate curb of the mount aresubstantially complemental to each other.

3. The combination defined by claim 1 which includes 65 electricalconductor means mounted in the heel opening and in the mount hub forautomatically supplying current to the iron when in rest position on themount.

4. The combination defined by claim 1 which includes electricalconductor means mounted in the heel opening and in the mount hub forautomatically supplying current to the iron when in rest position on themount, and a switch lever in the mount actuated by placement of the ironin upright position on the mount.

5. The combination defined by claim 1 which includes electricalconductor means mounted in the heel opening and in the mount hub forautomatically supplying current to the iron when in rest position on themount, a microswitch, a switch lever, and a fulcrum on which the leveris mounted, one end of said lever being depressible by placement of theiron on the mount for raising the opposite end into switch operatingposition.

6. The combination defined by claim 1, in which the heel comprises arear block having a semi-circular cutout surface for contacting the hubwhen the iron is pivoted to upstanding position on the mount. 7

7. In combination, a clothes-pressing iron and a rest mount adapted tobe supported by an ironing board, the rest mount having an arcuate curband an upstanding hub disposed at the center of the arc of the arcuatecurb, the iron having at its rear a -pair of spaced abutment surfaceportions having a rearwardly facing concavity therebetween, the surfaceportions being disposed at the level of the sole plate symmetrically oneon either side of the longitudinal center line of the sole plate, theiron having a rearwardly extending heel spaced above the ironing surfaceof the sole plate a distance at least equal to the height of the curband extending rearwardly out beyond the surface portions a distancesubstantially equal to the width of the curb, the heel havin arearwardly facing, hub-receiving opening, the top of the opening beingat a level higher than the level of the top of the hub and the bottom ofthe opening being at a level below the level of the top of the hub,whereby when the iron is backed against the arcuate curb of the mountfrom various directions, the abutment of both of the surface portionsagainst the curb aims the hub-receiving opening at the hub so that thesole plate can be pivoted on the curb and the heel can be pivoted on thehub to upstanding rest position with the hub fitting snugly into theopening.

8. The combination defined by claim 7, which includes electricalconductor means mounted in the heel opening and in the mount hub forautomatically supplying current to the iron when in rest position on themount.

9. The combination defined by claim 7, which includes electricalconductor means mounted in the heel opening and in the mount hub forautomatically supplying current to the iron when in rest position on themount, and a switch lever in the mount actuated by placement of the ironin upright position on the mount.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,419,173 6/1922 Seche 38-79 X2,234,347 3/ 1941 Lobstein 38-96 X FOREIGN PATENTS 956,041 1/ 1950France.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

